Real Emotion
by Bloodyrose666
Summary: A Final Fantasy reality show. Hard yaoi in later chapters. Cloud Squall centric.
1. Prologue

The jealous new admirer. The boisterous cop. The not so straight best friend. The distant, bitter, but strangely attractive ex-soldier. The womanizing cowboy. The pale, vampiric author. The handsome, fatherly teacher. The sarcastic, cruel lawyer. The fiery, tenacious bartender. The bald, amiable FBI agent. The coarse, streetwise airplane pilot. Sounds like a scene from a soap opera, right? It's not. It's a reality show.

You get paired with your least likely match and are forced to live together for two (or was it three?) Months. During that time, you participate in certain challenges that test your teamwork and trust in one another. At the end of the show, those who have performed the best are given one million dollars and permission to do what you will with it.

How do I know this? Oh, I'm not an avid fan, not by a long shot. Any show that forces men to share a house for an extended period of time is _way _out of my league. And still, I'm a contestant. Why?

Because my homosexual little brother wants to see me make it with another man on prime time television. So, I, Cloud Strife, am stuck participating in a reality show called 'Real Emotion.'


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Cloud Strife stretched and groaned. Even though it was about noon, he had only just woken up, his blonde hair tousled; his pajama's wrinkled and messy. He stared around the room and fell back onto his bed, tired and hung over from a party the night before. He vaguely remembered having scored with his girlfriend Tifa at the party, and the mere thought made him blush. That meant he couldn't end the relationship for at least another month or so. That would be cruel.

He was scratching his stomach idly and staring at the ceiling when his little brother, Tidus, slammed into the room and pounced on his brother. "Cloud! Look, look, look!"

Cloud tried to sit up, but the fifteen year old was straddling him too high up for him to do so. He instead stared up at his brother and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I got your acceptance letter in the mail!"

"Acceptance letter?"

Tidus grinned. "Oh, right, I didn't tell you! I took the liberty of signing you up for that game show. You know, Real Emotion?"

Cloud sat up, knocking his brother off of him. "What!"

"Well… The prize is a million dollars to split between you and your partner, so I figured you could use the money to go to college…"

Cloud blinked. "So you signed me up for a _gay_ show so I could go to _college_! What if I get raped?"

Tidus laughed. "Why would you get raped?"

"A bunch of horny, gay men stuck in a house with a fresh, young twenty year old? I'm sure to attract some sort of attention…"

Tidus giggled again, infuriating Cloud. "Oh, come on, Cloud! Open up to some possibilities!"

"I'm open to a lot of things, just not other men!"

Tidus held the letter out to Cloud and grinned. "Read for yourself."

Cloud snatched the letter from his brother and read it silently.

_Dear _Cloud Strife,

_We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to be a contestant on the reality television show _Real Emotion. _Please, enclosed is a ticket for United Airlines. On _October the Fourth_, please make your way to _New York International _and present this ticket. You will be given first class accommodations to Hawaii, where you will be greeted by Rikku, a young woman in charge of your well-being. Eleven other men will accompany you. On _October the Sixth_, we will begin filming. _Cloud, _you are expected to arrive punctually, or filming will have to be delayed. See you soon!_

Yuna Besaid, Executive producer

Cloud moaned. "Oh, God… Tidus… Why must God punish the adults who still live with their parents?"

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Tuesday?"

"The second. Two days, Cloud! Aren't you excited?"

Cloud moaned and fell back. "Oh, Jeez…"

Tidus leaned over and kissed his brother on the lips. "Cheer up, Kumo. It'll be fun!"

"That's not my name."

"It means the same thing, Kumo."

Cloud frowned. "Whatever."

Tidus laughed. "You're so depressing, Kumo! Be happy!"

Cloud fell asleep, his head aching. When he woke up, there was a cool cloth pressed against his forehead, and Tidus was leaning over him anxiously. "Kumo. You okay? You sort of slipped out on me."

"Hmm? Yeah."

"I packed for you."

"Why? It's still two days away?"

Tidus smiled sheepishly. "Actually… You need to leave a in about… Well, _now_."

Loud glanced at his clock, saw it was Thursday, the fourth. He screamed. "Tidus! How?"

"You were sleeping."

Cloud rolled out of bed, pulled his clothes on and practically vaulted out of the room. He waved to his parents as he left, only to have Tidus running after him, clutching a duffel bag. "Cloud!"

Cloud turned around, grabbed the duffel bag, and pulled his brother to him. Despite their differences, they were still incredibly close. Cloud kissed his brother, a bit longer than he probably should have, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Bye, Tidus. Love?"

"Lots of it!"

Cloud jumped on his motorcycle, Fenrir, and drove off, blowing a kiss at Tidus as he went. Tidus waved back fervently, and then went back in the house, flipping the bird at a neighbor who had apparently seen his and Cloud's kiss.

* * *

Cloud made his plane on time, finding his seat quickly, only to find the man who he was sharing with was already there. He was a brunette, with blue eyes, wearing incredibly tight leather, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. He looked up at Cloud and raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Do you want something?"

Cloud blushed. "No…"  
"Oh. Thought you wanted sex or something. A lot of people do."

"Do they?"

"Yeah. Look at me."

Cloud preferred not to. He merely squeezed past the man and sat by the window, staring out at the runway. The brunette continued to watch Cloud, his expression impassive. "Why Hawaii?"

Cloud jumped a little. "Huh?"

"Why Hawaii?"

"Game show."

"Real Emotion?"

Cloud blinked. "So, you're...?"

The man's eyes hardened. "No. I'm not gay. I want the money."

"Oh."

"And if _you're_ gay, please refrain from any of those homoerotic activities that seem to _so_ fascinate you during the plane ride."

Cloud blushed. "I'm not gay! Oh, god, I'm not!"

"Sure."

Cloud decided to change the subject. "What do you do for living?"

"I'm retired military. Air Force, Lieutenant General."

Cloud spoke before thinking. "I hate the military."

The man was obviously offended. "Why?"

"Military brat. Ruined my life. Moved all over the world. Lost a girlfriend. My dad got shot. I can't stand it."

"Luc Strife?"

Cloud looked surprised. "That… That was my father!"

"Jeez… Auron talked about him nonstop. Air Force idol. I met him once. The first year I was in. Sweetest man I ever met…"

Cloud noticed the soft expression on his face. It hardened again. "Shame that his son is a military-hating pussy."

"I can sword fight."

"Can you?"

"Yeah. I've been taking classes since I was six. Fourteen years."

"Hmm."

"You don't believe me."

The man shook his head. "Nope."

Cloud sighed and turned back to the window. The pilot came on over the intercom. "Hello, this is your pilot speaking. You are on the United Airlines flight from New York to Hawaii. We will be arriving in Honolulu in approximately nine hours. Please, direct your attention to the stewardess in the front of the cabin."

The airplane began to taxi along the runway. Cloud watched the scenery pass by, and jolted slightly when the brunette tapped his shoulder. "Cloud?"

Cloud glanced at him. "How do you know my name?"

"I met you when you were ten. I doubt you remember me. I was eighteen. Just joined the military."

"Oh."

"Anyway, do you want some gum?"

Cloud looked at the pack of Trident White proffered to him. "Why?"

"It stops your ears from popping when the plane takes off. Take some."

Cloud smiled slightly and took the gum. He popped it in his mouth, noticed that the woman across the aisle from him was staring, and turned back to the window, blushing. _Augh! You complete faggot! Why are you thinking about him like that?_ Cloud thought, entirely confused. _What did that show say? Accepting gum from girls means I'm interested? Shoot!_

The plane took off, a feeling Cloud was totally used to.


End file.
